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54 Below

A Nonprofit Cabaret Venue

A person dressed in drag with voluminous wavy hair and bold makeup, featuring dramatic eyeshadow and contouring. They wear a black outfit with white pinstripes, exaggerated shoulder pads, a sparkling necklace, and a ring. The background is a plain gray.

Sapphira Cristál (runner-up and Miss Congeniality of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 16) is a classically trained opera singer, composer, and drag queen known for her theatrical lip syncs and six-octave range. She is renowned as a charismatic host who forges a special connection with her audiences.

Sapphira holds 16 pageant crowns and has performed globally. In 2024, she was thrice the guest artist in Madonna’s Celebration Tour, and she debuted her original operatic production, Soundcake, with Monét X Change and Thorgy Thor at Lincoln Center. Afterward, she brought her one-woman show, The Cristál Ball Tour, across North America.

Sapphira works to inspire young people through appearances at colleges, youth camps, and high schools. She taught several years of master classes in drag makeup and performance at Emerson College, and she has given artist talks at Rockland Community College. An experienced attitude and stage presence coach, Sapphira has also taught master classes at the Philadelphia Burlesque Academy and various dance studios.

Whenever she gets the chance, Sapphira partners with charitable organizations to raise funds to change people’s lives. Her personal credo is: “There is no better exercise for the heart than reaching down to lift someone up,” and she has made it her mission to uplift, encourage and inspire those around her.